No Turning Back
by badly-knitted
Summary: Ianto can't tell Jack the truth about why he's at the Hub so late, so he'll have to do something he's been trying to avoid. Set pre-Cyberwoman, probably pre-series. Written for Prompt #010 – Truth Or Dare at fandomweekly.


**Title:** No Turning Back

 **Author:** badly-knitted

 **Characters:** Ianto, Jack.

 **Rating:** PG

 **Spoilers:** Set pre-Cyberwoman, probably pre-series.

 **Summary:** Ianto can't tell Jack the truth about why he's at the Hub so late, so he'll have to do something he's been trying to avoid.

 **Word Count:** 879

 **Written For:** Prompt #010 – Truth Or Dare at fandomweekly.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.

.

 **sandysan2013:** They'd sell out in no time!

Thank you!

.

 **DottyWho:** Thank you!

.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

.

"Ianto? You down here?" Jack's voice cut through the almost silence of the lower levels so unexpectedly that it startled Ianto. He wasn't at all sure how he'd managed to get away with sneaking stealthily around the Hub after hours for so long without anyone noticing, but it looked like his good luck was about to run out.

Hastily, he retraced his steps, hoping to get back to the more commonly used areas of the archives, away from the disused tunnels where he was hiding Lisa, before the head of Torchwood Three caught up with him. Thankfully, he managed, so that he could step out of one of the archive storage rooms, dusting off his hands, just as his boss came around the corner.

"Is there something I can do for you, Sir?" he asked politely.

"That depends." Jack eyed him up and down appreciatively, taking in his lack of Jacket and hastily rolled-up shirtsleeves that gave the impression he'd been working in the dusty little room. "What are you still doing here? The others all went home hours ago."

"This place is a mess; the archives aren't going to sort themselves out, Sir. I don't know how you let everything get into this state."

"Never really had the staff to spare." Jack shrugged idly, hands jammed in trouser pockets. "It's late; you should go home, get some sleep. Don't think I don't know how much extra time you put in here."

Shit. He really hadn't thought the Captain paid that much attention to his comings and goings. But Ianto couldn't leave, not yet. He needed to check on Lisa, adjust the drips regulating the flow of morphine and sedatives into her system, make sure she was as comfortable as she could be while hooked up to the cyber-conversion unit that was acting as a life-support machine.

"I'd really rather not, Sir." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, tiredness making him uncharacteristically careless.

"Really?" Jack was looking at him suspiciously now. "And why would that be?"

It was like being tricked into a game of truth or dare. Telling the truth was out of the question, Ianto knew Captain Harkness would kill Lisa on sight if he found her, and likely execute Ianto into the bargain. A partial truth might work…

"I don't sleep so well, not since… you know. Nightmares." He shrugged awkwardly, as if ashamed at admitting to such a weakness.

Jack nodded. "Canary Wharf, I understand. Even so, you need to try to get some rest; you look worn out. Go home, Ianto. I could make it an order."

If even a partial truth fails, all that's left is dare.

"I can't, Sir. I need a distraction, so I don't have to think." Ianto stepped towards Jack, right into his personal space, breathing in the intoxicating scent of him, meeting the Captain's eyes, all but throwing himself at the man.

Harkness's pupils dilated and he smiled seductively. "A distraction, huh?"

"Yes, Sir. Distract me?" He made the request sound like a plea.

Ianto had told himself he'd do anything at all to ensure Lisa's safety. That was why he'd flirted so boldly with the Captain to get a job with Torchwood Three in the first place. Harkness's reputation for sleeping with pretty much anyone he considered attractive enough was widely known at Torchwood One, and Ianto had it on good authority that he certainly qualified. But despite the promise he'd made to Lisa to protect her by any means necessary, ever since that night in the warehouse capturing what Ianto now knew was a Pteranodon rather than a Pterodactyl, he'd been hoping and praying that he wouldn't have to make good on those implied promises. Not because he was uncomfortable with the idea of having sex with a man, he'd experimented a bit when he was at uni. It was just…

Ianto didn't want to cheat on the woman he loved, especially not with Jack, because he had a horrible suspicion that once he started, he wouldn't be able to stop. Damn the man for being so attractive, for smelling so heavenly, for being the one person who could make him lose sight, even just for a moment, of his ultimate goal of restoring Lisa to full humanity again. If he was honest with himself, he wanted Jack, wanted everything the Captain offered so freely to those who caught his eye.

"Tempting." Jack licked his lips slowly, teasingly, then leant forward to whisper in Ianto's ear. "Say the magic words, and I'm yours. Whatever you want." He pulled back to look Ianto in the eyes again, smiling, waiting. His proximity made Ianto light-headed. There was no turning back.

"Please, Sir. Jack. I want you." Just like that, the dare became truth.

"You only ever had to ask."

Playing Jack was so easy, Ianto reflected; all he had to do was tell Jack what he wanted to hear and he wouldn't even think to question him further. Lisa would be safe for another night; Ianto could check on her later under the pretext of fetching his jacket. Problem solved.

But at the back of his mind, Ianto couldn't help feeling that by accepting the dare, he might just be dooming himself.

.

The End


End file.
